State of the Labor Market

State of the Labor Market in Washtenaw County

In the fourth quarter of 2019, the labor force and employment figures increased in Washtenaw County. A smaller change in labor force than in employment caused the number of unemployed individuals to decrease in the region. The unemployment rate decreased from the 3.5 percent quarterly rate in Q3 2019 to the current rate of 2.3 percent in Q4 2019. Employer demand for nearly all occupation groups analyzed by WIN were strong during 2019, with more than 84,000 unique job postings.

Annual Labor Market Information

The labor force in Washtenaw County continues to grow, increasing by 1,463 individuals between 2018 and 2019 annual figures. Employment increased by 1,674 workers between 2018 and 2019. As the increase in employment accounted the sustained increase in labor force, the unemployment rate decreased slightly. From an annual unemployment rate of 3.0 percent in 2018, the annual rate has decreased by 0.1 percentage points to the current rate of 2.9 percent in 2019 for Washtenaw County.

Quarterly Employer Demand Overview

Data from the fourth quarter of 2019, including posting information from October, November, and December, showed a slight decrease in employer demand levels in Washtenaw County. There were 7,770 fewer postings during Q4 2019 compared to the 55,947 postings made by employers during Q3 2019, but only 2,796 fewer postings than during Q4 2018.

Annual Labor Force, Employment, Unemployment Rate

2010–2019

Data: BLS | Analysis: Workforce Intelligence Network

Monthly Posting Analysis,

Washtenaw County 2019